\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \qj\li105\ri105 \f1 \b The Mont-Blanc massif\par
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\b0 The highest peak in Western Europe, Mont Blanc rises to an altitude of 4807 meters (
15,772 feet), dominating an imposing massif permanently covered with snow and ice, located on the borders of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Lying in a southwest-northeast direction, it presents all the features of the high mountains: cirques, glaciers,
vertical and serrate ridges, deep valleys and crevasses.... Mont Blanc was climbed for the first time on August 8, 1786, by the guide Jacques Balmat and Doctor Paccard.\par
